Enclosure bulkhead



Jan. 5, 1937. L. F. DlETZ 2,066,713

ENCLOSURE BULKHEAD Filed 001;. 16, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 J3 In 0272 for: J2 Iou/s Ffillib By Wag/1' fliiorlzey Patented Jan. 5, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ENCLOSURE BULKHEAD Louis I". Diets, Enslewood, N. J. Application October 16, 1935, Serial No. 45,219

10 Claims. (CL 189-34) This invention relates to paneling. For the purposes of this application I shall confine my discussion to the panels or partitions" used in living and/or utility quarters in ships. Such discussion is illustrative only and in no way limiting, as the principles of my invention apply to other uses, as building interiors and the like.

Considering the marine partition as typical, however, it may be noted at the outset that the 10 items of camber and sheer in ship construction introduce definite factors of difilculty in the erection of such partitions on board ship.

Such partitions, commonly called enclosure bulkheads, cabin enclosures, cabin lining and 1s bulkheading, and ceiling in marine terminology, are used in constructing staterooms and other enclosures on board ship.

Heretofore these partitions have been generally constructed of wood or composition and have been cut at the shipyard to suit the camber or sheer of the particular deck condition of the ship in which they are erected as stateroom or other enclosures. This introduced a factor of error which frequently necessitated re-cutting the par- 2 titions at the job.

Similarly, error was introduced in the matter of having the partitions fit the desired overall sizes or shapes of the stateroom or other enclosure to be erected.

My invention contemplates a panel and method of erection which will avoid the necessity for cutting my bulkhead partitions or panels at the shipyard to suit the camber or sheer of the particular deck condition of the ship in which they are to 35 be erected.

In carrying out my invention, I use top and bottom channel members shaped to conform to the camber or sheer of the ship's deck and sectional panel units, there being any desired num- 40 her of sections to a unit and said sections being interlockingly keyed to each other.

In erecting a stateroom or other enclosure with my bulkhead panel units, where there is a camher or sheer deck condition, each panel unit is as set in place and the sections thereof successively driven down to the bulkhead seat of the bottom member of the stateroom or other enclosure.

This eliminates all cutting and fitting of the panels to camber and sheer. It also enables the so sections to be assembled in the field and arranged on the job depending on the lay-out of the particular job. The panels may be shipped as relatively narrow sections and avoids handling large panels. It also avoids cutting 01! the panels to II fit odd stateroom sins. With my invention, only one section of a panel needs to be cut 01! to fit the odd size.

In the accompanying drawings I show an embodiment of my invention which I have found highly satisfactory under actual service conditions in numerous installations.

Fig. 1 is a view of a typical installation showing an extreme camber condition of the deck.

Fig. 2 is a cross section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail illustrating one of the adjustable shim units which may be used in connection with my invention. This figure shows a deck condition of extreme camber or sheer.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail showing the use is of a set screw at the top and/or bottom for holding the panel sections in their adjusted positions.

Figl. 5 is a vertical section on the line 5-5 of Fig.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary detail similar to Fig. 3 I

but showing one of the adjustable shim units as used where the deck is level or of very slight camber or sheer.

Fig. '7 is a perspective detail of one of the shim units detached.

Fig. 8 is a cross section through such shim unit when assembled.

Fig. 9 is a vertical section through a bottom member in which such shim unit is used, and

Fig. 10 is a longitudinal section at right angles to Fig. 8.

I have indicated at ll the steel deck of a ship, at I! the deck covering, at It a bottom member attached to the deck and providing a channel support for the bottom edges of the vertical bulk- 5 head panel units V. at It a top member providing a top support for the upper edges of said panel as well as lateral supports for the ceiling panel units H, the top member being carried by the deck beams II from the deck above It. The vertical panel units and the ceiling panel units may or may not be duplicates. If duplicates, they are of course interchangeably useable.

Such vertical panel unit is sectional. As here shown the panel units are in three sections A, B 5 and C. These are of any desired width and may have any desired number of sections. Similarly, the sections of any panel units are thirty six inches wide, and the three sections A, B, and C thereof are each twelve inches wide. 5

The panel units, may also be of any desired thickness and any desired construction as regards fireproofing, soundproofing, or the like. As here shown the panel units are of the insulated type embodying a central core K of any suitable as material, as for example asbestos, and external sheathings A, A, B, B', and C, C, of steel, aluminum or the like. For convenience of shipment and assembly the asbestos or other insulated cores K may be furnished in sections. As illustrated, such cores K are furnished in three sections for each panel section (see dotted line showing of Pig. 1). Similarly the edges of the cores K may be reinforced in any desired manner as by means of the reinforced edges ll (Fig. 5).

The vertical edges of each panel unit V are received in channeled bulkhead posts I. (see Figs. 1 and 2) assembled with the top and bottom members. For this purpose the vertical edges of each panel unit may be and preferably are provided with channel-shaped strips is (Fig. 2). These lie within and are secured to the extended edges of the sheathing as at 20.

The individual sections A, B, and C constituting a panel unit are interlocked in slip joint assembly in any suitable manner. As here shown the sheathing A at one face of the panel section A (for example) is bent laterally across the vertical edge of said section A towards the opposite sheathing member A at the opposite face of the panel section as at 2| and then extended as at 22 in the direction of the sheathing member A. (See Fig. 2.) The sheathing A of panel section A is extended beyond the flange 22, then bent across the vertical edge of the next panel section B as at 22 towards the sheathing B at the opposite face of the section B, and finally bent back towards the section A, as at 24.

The sheathing B is extended towards the panel section A and bent upon itself as at 2! and 26 to abut the portions 2| and 22 of the sheathing A. The sheathing B is bent as at 21 and 22 to abut the portions 23 and 2| of the sheathing A.

The abutting portions 2|, 22 and 28, 2' together with the abutting portions 22, 24, and 21, 22 define an included recess which extends from top to bottom of any pair of shutting edges of adjacent panel sections. Within such recess, 1 insert a locking key Z. Such key is of spring material and of channel form. Its vertical edges bear against the adjacent portions 24 and 28 of the respective panel sections A and B (for example) to hold them assembled. The key fits with a drive tit and is cut to correspond to the particular deck condition of camber or sheer.

In erecting the vertical bulkhead panel units on ships where there is a camber or sheer condi-' tion, each panel unit is fitted into place between its supporting bulkhead posts ll. The several sections A, B, and C etc. of such unit are then successively driven down to their seats on the bottom member [3. This eliminates all cutting and'fitting to camber or sheer.

After the several panel units have been fitted to the prevailing deck condition of camber or sheer, set screws 29 and 30 or their equivalents may be inserted through the top and bottom bulkhead seats to hold the panel sections in their adjusted positions. If the decks are level or of very slight camber or sheer, then the abutting portions 2|, 25, and 22, 21, respectively may be spot welded rather than adjustably secured to each other as by means of the set screws 2| and 20.

Under some conditions it is desirable to provide adjustable shim units at the bottom edges of the panel units. Where this is done, it is preferable to provide a shim unit for each panel section. These may be adjusted to suit the particular condition of camber or sheer of the deck.

Fig. 3 shows an adjustable shim unit supporting the bottom edge of a panel section on a deck having an extreme condition of camber, as in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 shows such adjustable shim unit when used with a relatively level deck or one having a very slight camber or sheer.

Referring to these figures and to Figs. 7 to inclusive which illustrate the construction of the adjustable shim units and their manner of assembly within the bottom member l2, it will be noted that each adjustable shim unit comprises a pair of superposed wedge-shaped shims 2| and 22.

The top shim member II is formed with inturned flanges 22 at its top longitudinal edges. These support the bottom edge of the panel section, as best shown in Fig. 9. The lower shim member 32 has its bottom longitudinal edges inturned as at 24 to rest upon a part of the bottom member ii.

The inclined faces of the shims 2i and 22 slidably engage each other in the manner of a wedge, the upper face of the bottom shim 82 being longitudinally slotted substantially from end to end thereof as indicated at ll, and the bottom face of the upper shim ll being perforated as at to receive a set screw or its equivalent 81 disposed in the slot II for permitting and holding the sliding adjustment of the members II and I2 relative to each other.

Various other modifications in construction and arrangement may obviously be resorted to within the spirit and scope of my invention, as defined by the appended claims.

What I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. Enclosure bulkheads comprising top and bottom members and vertical bulkhead posts and panel units assembled therewith, each panel unit comprising a plurality of sections, and said sections comprising each a pair of spaced sheathing members, opposite sheathing members of adjacent sections overlapping each other and each having a portion extending towards the other to form an enclosed space, and locking keys within said spaces and permissive of relative up and down adjustment of the individual sections of a panel unit relative to one another to suit the camber or sheer of a particular deck condition, said keys being driven and frictionally engaging the walls of the enclosed spaces.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein supporting devices are assembled with the bottom members and adjustably space the bottom edges of the panel sections from the bottom member.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein wedgeshaped shims are assembled with the bottom members and adjustably space the bottom edges of the panel sections from the bottom member.

4. A slip joint for interlocking the adjacent sections of a sectional panel unit to enable said sections to be fitted to' the camber or sheer of a deckwhen used as an enclosure bulkhead, said sections comprising each a Pair of spaced sheathing members, each sheathing member having a portion extended towards the opposite sheathing member, and said extensions defining with each other and with the similarly extending portions of the sheathing members of an adjacent panel section an enclosed space and a spring locking key within said space, said key being driven and frictionally engaging the walls of the enclosed space.

5. The combination of claim 4 wherein set screwsortheirequivalentsareengagedwiththe abutting edges oi adjacent sections of a panel positions.

6. The combination of claim 4 wherein shim units are assembled with the panel units, each comprising a pair of adjustable shim members having mutually contacting inclined faces, the face 01' one shim member being longitudinally slotted to permit the cooperating shim member to be slid therealong, there being means disposed in said slot and engaged with the cooperating shim member for holding the adjustment of said shim members relative to one another.

7. A panel unit comprising a plurality of sections, said sections comprising each a pair of spaced sheathing members, opposite sheathing members of adjacent sections overlapping each other and each having a portion extending towards one another to form an enclosed space, and a locking key within said space, said key being driven and frictionally engaging the walls of the enclosed space.

8. A panel unit comprising a plurality 01' sections, said sections comprising each a pair of spaced sheathing members, each sheathing member having a portion extended towards the opposite sheathing member, and said extensions defining with each other and with the similarly extending portions of the sheathing members of i an adjacent panel section an enclosed space, and a spring locking key within said space, said key being driven and irictionally engaging the walls of the enclosed space.

9. A panel unit comprising aplurality oi p A tions, said sections comprising each a pair oi spaced sheathing members, the sheathing members of two adjacent sections at one side of the panel unit having transversely bent portions disposed substantially in abutment with each other, the sheathing members of said adjacent sections at the opposite side of the panel unit having transversely bent portions disposed substantially in abutment with each other and spaced from said first-named bent portions and defining therewith an included recess, and a'locking key in said recess, said key being driven and frictionally engaging the walls of the included recess.

10. A panel structure comprising a pair or panel sections disposed in edge to edge relationtion in spaced relationship thereto and thence inwardly toward the edge of the ilrst panel section, the extended portions of the sheathing members of the respective panel sections being disposed at opposite sides of the panel structure and in "overlapping interfltting relationship, and a key between the extended and the inwardly directed portions of the sheathing members of the respective panel sections locking the panel sections against relative lateral movement and also against separation by movement of either section in its plane. LOUIS F. DIETZ. 

